Mumsnet Talk

I have my MIL and husband coming here for Christmas, and because we have been entertained there countless times for Christmas, I would really like to pull out all the stops.

I want to put on something special for Christmas day breakfast BUT I don't want to spend ages preparing it and missing the dds (3 and 9 months) opening presents etc.

Can anyone think of ways I can make a fairly ordinary breakfast seem a bit more special, or a quick recipe I can roll out in about 15 mins or so.

Any feedback much appreciated.

smoked salmon, cream cheese, scrambled eggs and bagels with bucks fizz?

Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs is quick and easy.
American Pancakes with crispy bacon and maple syrup, the batter can be made in advance.

Chocolate???

DD loves crossiants so we may have them. She loved it last year (I think it was) when we did little squares of crunchy toast and butter topped with little quail's eggs.

huge bacon sandwhiches would go down exceedingly well in this house and will be this year..with pots of hot chocolate and a few sweeties opened as a special treat

smoked salmon with scrambled eggs on the poshest toast you can muster, coffee, freshly squeezed orange and champagne.

We usually just have croissants and champagne/bucks fizz. Later on when we get back from church (we don't have lunch until about 3 o clock) there are bacon sandwiches.

Croissants baked with ham and cheese are deliciuous too.

crusty baguettes with butter and pate

Ooooh - these are all lovely ideas, thank you.

DH considers pancakes his speciality, so this gives me a cunning idea to provide a special breakfast AND spend all my time with the dds. After all, it is his mum?

Aha - smoked salmon and scrambled egg is MIL's speciality - another option!

I was struggling to come up with anything more exciting than toast with whisky flavoured marmalade!

Another vote for croissants and bucks fizz.

we do smoked salmon and scrambled eggs with bucks fizz...

just read the other posts - agree with that

dad does scrambled eggs and smoked salmon

i dont like it, so we have croissants with bacon

YUM!

WOW - crossed posts with about 10 responses. I have got a sort of "warm copper kettles and bright woollen mittens" feeling just reading these suggestions.

Champagne is a lovely idea but the thought of it at that time makes me feel ill. Bucks fizz might offer me a better prospect of making it to lunch without passing out.

Have definitely decided it has to be something totally different to normal. Chocolate, croissants, bacon sandwiches - especially wrapped around Church sounds good.

How about sausage sarnies, with sausages cooked in the oven, so all you have to do is butter the bread - better still for real indulgence why not pop the sausage in a butter croisant! Yum. I love fruit fizzy drinks limeade etc - who cares about colouring at Christmas?

In the past I have done stollen - it is a kind of bread with fruits in and marzipan in the middle. It is not that hard - esp. if you are used to making bread or have a bread machine. I don't really follow the recipe but use it as a guide, make basic dough, chuck in fruit and put marzipan in the oven.

The best thing about it and why it works for me for christmas breakfast is that I make it with the children in the afternoon on christmas eve and then put it in the oven (cold) to rise overnight (anywhere cold will do). Then christmas morning crank up the oven, brush it with some milk or egg and cook it.

It really is easy and special - but I am a blood sugar junkie and anything like marzipan to send me rocketing first thing in the morning is a real treat!

opps I don't put marzipan in the oven (like some festive nutter) I put marzipan in the middle

Nigella's Christmas morning muffins.

The dry and wet ingrgientsare prepared separately on Christmas Eve, then you combine in the morning and 15 mins later the house sells divine and they are yummy smothered in butter, straight from the oven. Also they cook by themselves so no time away from dds.

Or if you can stretch to baking in the morning, Nigella has a recipe for Christmas Morning Muffins - you mix the dry and the wet ingredients seperately the night before and put in fridge overnight, then in the morning mix together, pour into tin and bake.
Bit of a pain as you have to wait while they bake but means the house smells of warm spicy baking on Christmas morning - not to be sniffed at when it comes to impressing PIL!

(I like the idea of getting your DH to make pancakes)

great minds, WasWondering...

her muffins are shite though

not these ones

are they?
I was impressed with the concept rather than the product (have never been organised enough to bake on christmas morning)

gpd have abacon sandwhich and be done!
no one will thank you for it
or m and s do tiny pain au chocolat and pain auraisin you bake int he oven

Smoked salmon and cream scrambled eggs inside brioche rolls with bucks fizz.... Mars gave me the delia recipe for it a couple of years ago and we now use it all the time - it's seriously yum!!!